Don't Look Down
by MaryandMerlin
Summary: When all seemed lost, Sirius received a gift that saved and changed his life.


**QLFC - Round 4**

Write about a pet changing the owner's life - for better or for worse.

(Action) running

(Plot point) receiving a pet as a gift.

(Word) Preposterous

 **Word Count: 1356**

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Don't Look Down

The meagre moonlight shone through the grated door and a breeze tickled at the shaggy curls of his hair. It was lucky, he thought wryly, that he had been finally caught in the summer months, for the tall tower had no real door.

His head dropped back and he closed his eyes, a weary sigh forcing its way through his teeth. How had it come to this? The last time Sirius had been in this tower it had been on a dare - back when they had been invincible.

Ghosts haunted him here. Sneaking through the school passages, hiding in the shack, they followed him everywhere. The ghosts of his youth. James, young and gangly, pining after that firecracker. Remus in a corner reading a book — his friend had aged badly in the years since their separation, but he was still far wiser than he should be. Then of course, the final one — their most painful betrayal.

A growl rumbled in his chest at the thought of the rat, the one who really deserved to be locked in this tower.

A shadow flashed across the moon and Sirius found himself flinching. The instinct sickened him. When had he become such a mouse? Still, those years in the dark had affected his mind; he had tried to plot and scheme like the old days. He had tried to be quick witted and invincible and look where it landed him — a cell.

No he was old, and worse, weak. A kicked dog.

A woosh of air preceded a thud and Sirius was on his feet in an instant — those reflexes, at least, were still sharp. He could only imagine what he looked like: wild, probably rabid with his wide eyes and unruly hair. His tattered clothes hung off his sickly frame, the muscles he had once prided himself on wasted away after so many years of inactivity.

"Sirius?"

Ghosts again, those bloody ghosts! James' voice filtered towards him on the cool night air and he felt the familiar frustration fill him again. James was dead! 12 years dead! When would he learn to leave him alone?

He had to blink twice when a young, dark haired James pressed himself against the bars of the cell door. Had he finally snapped?

"Sirius!" James hissed.

Speechless, he stared at the ghost in front of him. Then his eyes snagged on an imperfection in the vision. A scar, a lightning bolt. Harry.

"Get out of the way," a feminine voice commanded and Harry disappeared once again.

A pang of desperation rang through Sirius and he stepped forward. _Come back,_ he begged silently. A second later, he was blasted backwards as the iron lock on the door (and a chunk of the wall) was pulverised into a choking dust.

The rest of the iron grate swung inwards and, after a moment's hesitation, Sirius rushed forward. Harry was stood just to one side, his bushy-haired friend beside him still clutching her wand. Though the look on Harry's face was one of pure excitement, her face was far more wary — smart girl.

It was a mere moment of staring at each other before she gave them a sharp command and they turned on heel, following her without a second thought. Sirius's shock didn't stop there, however, and he was amazed to be confronted not by a broom or some other method of escape, but rather a majestic creature. The Hippogriff clicked and shifted anxiously, its sharp hooves clattering against the stone walkway of the tower.

"He's beautiful," Sirius breathed with reverence. He bowed at the waist, a slow and careful movement, making sure to hold eye contact. Some things you never forgot. The moonlight rippled off silvery feathers as the Hippogriff bent its neck, allowing him to approach. Moving slowly, he raised a calloused hand and stroked the soft feathers of the beast's neck. He was rewarded with an approving click and yellow eyes focused on his gaze.

"Buckbeak." A voice broke through the moment. "He's yours."

The statement was so casually and assuredly uttered that it took a moment to register, but when it did Sirius whipped around — the startling movement making Buckbeak rear and squawk in alarm. Harry had an almost smug look on his face, and in that moment he looked so much like James that tears stung and burned at Sirius' eyes.

"What do you mean?" he choked out.

"We are giving you Buckbeak, and I suppose we're also giving you to Buckbeak. You can both look after each other. It's both of your last chances at freedom."

Freedom. The word made his heart stutter. Not even when he escaped Azkaban had he thought himself a free man. He had spent so long trying to get here that there had been no room to consider living a life beyond those walls of captivity.

"This is ridiculous! Preposterous! You're both only 13, it's past midnight! You should be tucked up in bed, not running around springing criminals from cells and sending them flying off the top of a tower on the back of a winged beast!" Sirius threw his hands up, trying to process what they all meant in the only way he knew how. He knew how hypocritical he was being — he and James were already planning to run around in the Forbidden Forest with an unfettered werewolf at that age — but the thought of James' son risking his life for Sirius was unbearable. "Utterly preposterous. Are you even old enough to know what that word means? Utterly absurd and ridiculous! Contrary to common sense! I thought you were a smart girl!" he threw towards Hermione. "I'm concerned that you have so much of a death wish at such a young age. They'd throw you into Azkaban — underage or not — you know."

"Then you'd better get going," the girl told him with a smile in her voice, "before all your shouting gets us caught."

He stammered and stared and tried to come up with a good reason why he couldn't possibly accept all of this kindness when he had brought them nothing but trouble, but he couldn't.

"They're going to execute him," she told him softly, looking at him with serious brown eyes. "All because he injured a student who wasn't following the rules. So really, if you don't take him and look after him, then he'll die. You'd be saving his life."

Sirius looked to the side, where Buckbeak had come to stand behind him. He looked into the piercing eyes and saw his own desires reflected in their golden depths. A desire to soar, to shed the restraints of this life and the part he had been forced to play. It was a life changing decision, but it wasn't a hard one to make.

He felt the adrenaline begin to pump and a wicked grin stretch his mouth. His muscles protested as he swung himself up onto the Hippogriff's back — spritely in a way he hadn't been in 12 years. Buckbeak skittered at the unexpected weight, but Sirius could feel the vibrations as the animal prepared to spring off. He placed a steadying hand on its neck and looked down at the two teenagers on top of the tower.

He opened his mouth, trying to think of something important to say, but he couldn't. Instead, he simply said, "Thank you."

Harry grinned, though he couldn't quite meet Sirius's eyes. "I hope we see each other again."

"Of course we will," Sirius told him with a wide smile as he tapped Buckbeak's flanks gently. "I'm a free man now!"

The gallop was over in less than a second before Buckbeak leapt. They fell for a second, suspended in thin air. Time seemed to slow, before finally his wings snapped out and they began to glide. A few powerful flaps had them gaining speed and the wind began to rush through Sirius's hair. He closed his eyes as they began to water.

Sirius threw his arms wide and whooped for joy as he embraced his new-found freedom.

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 **Much Love, MaryandMerlin x**


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